Striiv Review – Make Counting Steps Fun!

Pedometers abound in plenty. Sure, they are fun for about a week, but it wears off. This is not the case with Striiv. At the heart of this gadget is positive reinforcement and many rewards, something we all could probably use more of when it comes to fitness. By using unique Trumotion technology, Striiv can tell whether you are walking, running, or taking the stairs. It also integrates gaming, donations, and trophies into your fitness program. Although it is pretty small and cute, us ladies will especially appreciate that it does not have to be physically attached to your clothes or body, but that it can be carried in your purse.
The relatively high-resolution touchscreen on Striiv is very bright and easy to navigate. The device’s overall design is very reminiscent of the iPod Nano, and coming in at just a little bigger than the size of the nano, one can’t help but make the association. Striiv can easily clip into a holster for your belt, or can be attached to a key chain. It is about ½ inch thick and about 2 inches tall. The size is not uncomfortable in a jean pocket, unless you are wearing skinny jeans that can’t even hold a hair tie, you should be fine.

The Trophies

Think of the Striiv as your own personal cheerleader. As you go about your day, it announces to you your accomplishments. A bright sunshine starts you off with the first bonus of the day at 150 steps – “Rise and Shine.” Next comes “Morning Glory” with a steaming cup of coffee to congratulate you for 500 steps. If you have a particularly busy morning it will give you a “Strong Start” bonus at 1500 steps. You can even compete against yourself with the “Beat Your Average” trophy. Throughout the day it will tell you when you have burned off various food items, and more.

The Challenges

A slot machine style page is available for you to have 3 challenges pop up, easy, medium, and hard. The harder the challenge, the greater the reward.

Some examples of challenges include:

Reach 40 stairs in 15 min.

Hit 180 running Steps in 2 min.

2000 steps in 15 min.

When you accomplish these you get rewards, Striiv tracks everything you’ve completed and keeps a log for you to reflect on your successes.

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The Rewards

There are multiple options available for how to use rewards. First, is the MyLand game. The setting is a beautiful little paradise. Your job is to build and plant using reward points. The plants attract creatures back in to the paradise. This is a slow paced game. You plant, then wait while it grows to reap the coins. This is good because it prevents anyone from staying on their butt too long just to play the game. Next, you can long into the “Walkathon” menu tab and choose a charitable way to use your reward points. Through the charity GlobalGiving, you can choose from one of three options- provide clean water to children in South America, provide vaccines, or save the Tanzanian rain forests. After choosing, you will see your rewards slowly build up towards your donation goal. This also displays on the front page.

All in all, Striiv is an excellent device for integrating more productivity into exercise. It could also be a great way for the whole family to get involved in improving their activity levels in a positive and exciting way. Kids are sure to love it, and parents will love Striiv too because it provides a fun new way to get kids moving. And most importantly, this is not a guilt based motivation system. It’s all about enjoying what you do and loving fitness activities. Furthermore, the device is very easy to use and even children will quickly understand it. Compared to an iPhone the screen is not as crisp, and the touchscreen not as reactive – one has to push a bit harder to get it to work than on an iPhone. However, that is easy to get use too. We are also very impressed with the battery life for the device. We plugged it in for about an hour out of the box and 6 days later it is still going without a charge. Also, the volume is adjustable, so it isn’t an intrusion. Overall, Striiv is superbly designed for the $99 price tag. In a world where physical activity is always in direct competition with virtual activity, this device marries the two with a great result.

The Good: Excellent concept and follow through, sleek design, ease of use, works in a purseThe Bad: Touchscreen needs a firm touch for inputs.